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Joined: Sep 2011
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L
'Bolter
'Bolter
L Offline
Joined: Sep 2011
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I know the 1965 230 head has a different spark plug thread diameter size. That's the only difference in the heads that I know of. Then again I am always surprised at what I don't know. It's the old saying, "I don't know what I don't know". I'd rather get a 250 crank for the 230 than steal the one from my 250.

Joined: Feb 2004
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H
Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer)
Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer)
H Offline
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 29,889
Heads from all the recent generation of inline sixes will interchange. The 194 has smaller valves, I believe, but the 230/250/292 heads are pretty much clones of each other. Just stay away from the latest-production ones with the integral intake manifold. Those things suck line a Hoover upright vacuum cleaner, and they're prone to cracking, IIRC.
Jerry


"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Joined: Feb 2000
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J
'Bolter
'Bolter
J Offline
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 5,243
For the 230, I believe you use 283 flat top pistons.

Joe

Joined: Feb 2004
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H
Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer)
Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer)
H Offline
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Hmmmm- - - -good idea! the compression height on a 283 piston is 1/8" taller which should work out about right with the shorter 230 stroke. I've got a 230 in the stockpile of engines I plan to build eventually- - -I'll have to remember that trick! That would make for a tight-winding little engine with the right gear ratio and carburetion.

I'm planning to put an inline 6 in an Excalibur roadster somebody gave me, with 3 Weber DCOE 40 carbs and a set of dual exhausts off a split manifold or a set of Clifford cast iron headers. I think the 230 just found a home!
Jerry




"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,951
L
'Bolter
'Bolter
L Offline
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,951
Sooooo . . . . I can build the 230ci with the original 230 crank and use 283 pistons? Great! That saves me from hunting down a used 250 crank. Will it perform about the same as a 250ci?

Joined: Dec 2008
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S
Shop Shark
Shop Shark
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Ummm, no. The longer stroke of the 250 gives it enhanced torque characteristics compared to the 230, all other things being equal.


If you can't fix it with a hammer and screwdriver, you need a bigger hammer.
1965 Chevy C10
Joined: Feb 2004
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H
Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer)
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The 250 will have better low-end torque. The 230 will have a higher RPM capability, so the weight of the vehicle you're running and the final drive gear ratio will determine which engine will serve you best. I can probably get the same horsepower from a modified 230 as a basically stock 250, but it will be turning noticeably faster RPM. A short stroke V8 like a 302 or a 327 can outperform a 350, but it has to be modified, balanced, and wound up like a bumblebee on steroids to do it!
Jerry


"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,951
L
'Bolter
'Bolter
L Offline
Joined: Sep 2011
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Originally Posted by Hotrod Lincoln
The 250 will have better low-end torque. The 230 will have a higher RPM capability, so the weight of the vehicle you're running and the final drive gear ratio will determine which engine will serve you best. I can probably get the same horsepower from a modified 230 as a basically stock 250, but it will be turning noticeably faster RPM. A short stroke V8 like a 302 or a 327 can outperform a 350, but it has to be modified, balanced, and wound up like a bumblebee on steroids to do it!
Jerry

I've driven my smoking, low oil pressure 250ci enough to know I have plenty of power and rarely go over 2400 RPMs. With the OD gear I cruise comfortably on the highway at 2100-2200 RPMs. Sounds like a 250ci will serve me best.

Joined: Feb 2004
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H
Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer)
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There would be no problem building your spare engine as a 250- - - -just do a crankshaft swap. If the 230 crank needs top be reground, the cost would be virtually the same, since a reground 230 or 250 shaft would be almost the same price, and they will use exactly the same bearings.
Jerry


"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 10,310
5
Renaissance Man
Renaissance Man
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 10,310
I had a 230 with 1000,000 miles in a '70 Nova with a 3 speed. I could chirp a skinny bias ply tire (no posi) in all three gears. It was impossible to tell that the engine was still running at a traffic light too. I am a fan of the 230.
Carl


1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Joined: Feb 2004
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H
Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer)
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I've never seen a million-mile 230. That must be quite an accomplishment (or a typo).

Jerry


"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 10,310
5
Renaissance Man
Renaissance Man
5 Offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 10,310
Bad eyes, feeble fingers, weak mind...
You choose.


1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
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